When somebody says Azores I think about green land, cows, milk, blue beaches with dark sand, bananas and pineapples, massa sovada and bolo lêvedo and FAMILY! Yes, I have family in São Miguel, the biggest and more developed of the nine islands of the archipelago. Just Santa Maria is not exclusively from volcanic origin,but also had some reef contribution. All the others, Flores, Corvo, Terceira, Graciosa, Faial, Pico, São Jorge and São Miguel are volcanic.

First time I visited São Miguel I was 4 or 5 years old, not sure exactly. With all the excitement of the travel, in which I would have the companion of my sister and cousins, while having a shower the day before departure, I slipped and suffered a head injury. While running with my mom to the local hospital, I thought I could not board next morning!!

Two weeks ago I revisited São Miguel. I could still remember some places: the black sand beach at the bottom of my uncle’s house; the banana trees, pineapple’s greenhouses (btw with amazing tasting pineapples); the village of Furnas, where during the first time I visited the island, we cooked a stew in geysers. Furnas also has lot of hot springs and a huge pool of yellow thermal water.

I had a great time in São Miguel with my uncles from my dad’s side: his sister Maria do Céu and his brother-in-law Mário; my cousins André and Joana and their husbands, Susana and Paulo. Ah, and of course with the children of each of the couples, Maria and Afonso. I want to go back and I want you to visit. You will not regret! Click here to see more photos.

I brought with me in the bag a bottle of a white still wine from Pico. It was the first time I tasted a wine from this island. It was a Frei Gigante from 2007 harvest, golden straw color, wit flavor of toasted bread, slightly oxidized. On the palate it is mild and with a sweet finish.

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http://lissondiary.wordpress.com/ Iris

First thing that comes to my mind, when I here Azores: we’ll have good weather for the next period in our wines, because it normally comes together on the weather report with “high pressure” and a stable period of dry, hot time – exactly what we like as winegrowers – and even in our role as winemakers: it announces normally the ideal weather for work on the wine in our cellar:-)!

http://www.cortesdecima.pt Carrie Jorgensen

The Azores is so much blue ocean water, teeming with whales and dolphins and other sea life!
My great grandfather sailed from Graciosa, Azores to New Bedford, Ma in 1888, exactly 100 years before I sailed to Portugal and moved to Cortes de Cima.